Fixing the Past
by FangZeronos
Summary: Shepard and Ashley Williams meet two years after he was thought dead on Horizon.
1. Chance Encounter

It was supposed to be a simple mission to Horizon. Find out what happened to the colony, the same as they'd been doing for weeks since Shepard's revival at the hands of Cerberus. Having fought through Collectors and Geth, Shepard and his team consisting of the thief Kasumi Goto and long-time friend Garrus Vakarian trudged through the damp grass looking for anyone in the colony.

"SHepard, this isn't water making the grass wet," Kasumi said, kneeling down and running her fingers in the grass. "It's blood."

"Then it means something real bad happened here," Shepard said, looking around and keeping his assault rifle drawn and ready to fire. The sound of footsteps running made him spin around, Garrus and Kasumi training their sniper rifle and pistol at the newcomer.

"Freeze, asshole," a female voice said, clad in armor like Shepard's. "What the hell are you doing on Horizon? Answer me!"

"Trying to find out what happened to the colonists," Garrus said, his gun aimed the new woman's head. "We're not responsible for what happened, but we're trying to find them."

"Wait-Garrus?" the new woman asked, slowly lowering her rifle. "Garrus, is that you?" She holstered her gun, Shepard motioning for everyone else to do the same as she took off her helmet, revealing Ashley Williams.

"Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams," Garrus said with a smile. "Well, I'll be damned." He put his hand on Ashley's shoulder and smiled. "It's good to see you, Chief. Two years." 

"Two years too long," Ashley said, smiling. "Heard you were busy on Omega."

"I had my moments," Garrus said. "Though if it wasn't for an old friend, I might be dead." He looked over at Shepard and nodded. "Commander?"

Shepard sighed, taking his helmet off and clipping it to the butt of his rifle over his shoulder, looking at Ashley. "Ash.."

"Shepard," Ashley said, her smile falling as her hands clenched. "You son of a bitch!" She lunged and punched Shepard in the mouth, knocking the Commander of the Normandy to his back. She kicked him twice in the side and pointed her pistol at his head. "What the hell?! I watched you die! HOW?!"

"Cerberus," Shepard said, not daring to move since he had a gun pointed to his head and a pissed off girlfriend staring down at him with hatred in her eyes. "THey spent two years putting me back together, Ash." He sighed softly, looking up at his girlfriend. "I'm sorry, Ash...about that day the SR-1 got attacked, letting you and everyone else think I was dead. I..."

Ashley stepped back, putting her gun away again. Shepard stood up and went to reach for her, but she pulled away and stepped backwards. "Two years I thought you were dead, Shepard," she said. "I buried your empty casket on Earth at Anderson's request. Everyone was at your funeral. Liara was crying as much as I was. Tali was there, praying for your spirit in Quarian, Joker even got up and spoke. Christ, even fucking WREX showed up for your funeral, and he didn't say a damned thing that pissed anyone off that day." She clenched her hands and shook her head. "I buried you, and I tried to move on. Two years of sleeping with whoever I wanted when I'd come back from a job, having a drink in the bar on the Citadel and getting a quicky in the bathrooms to try and get you out of my head. It never worked because every time I'd start, he'd turn into you. Do you know what you fucking did to me when you died? You ripped my goddamned heart out."

"Ash, I'm sorry," Shepard whispered. "I-"

"I don't want to hear it," Ashley said, glaring at Shepard. "Finish your job for Cerberus and get the hell off of Horizon. I don't want to see you again." She looked at Garrus and Kasumi, smiling a bit. "It was good to see you again, Garrus."

"You too, Chief," Garrus said.

Ashley gave one last look to Shepard, turning and walking away, leaving the Commander standing silent on the blood-soaked grass. Shepard pulled his helmet back on, darkening the visor.

"We've got a job to do," he said, drawing his assault rifle once more and starting to follow the path towards the tower in the distance.


	2. Ashley's Memories

"Two goddamned years," Ashley growled as she paced her quarters on the ship taking her back to the Citadel. "Two freaking years. I thought his ass was dead for two years! We took down the Geth and Saren and Sovereign, but can the little bastard send me an email? I freaking hate you, Shepard!" She sat on her bed in frustration and grabbed her pillow, screaming into it and sighing after she was done screaming. She threw the pillow back on the bed and her eyes fell on the picture frame on the desk, the picture inside one of Shepard she'd snuck when he wasn't looking. "You bastard..."

Arriving back on the Citadel, Ashley stormed through the lower decks, pushing past whoever she could to get to one of the few clubs remaining on the Citadel after Saren's attack two years before. Walking into Flux, she headed to the bar and ordered a drink, her hands clenched on the counter. She couldn't help but think about seeing Shepard on Horizon, and as good as it was to know he was alive, she wanted to hate Shepard for not contacting her.

After several rounds, she sank into a chair and leaned back, sighing as she hung her head back and stared up at the pulsing lights in the club, hearing the music blaring and shadows crossing her vision as people danced. She thought back to one of the first nights after Saren and Sovereign were defeated, having been in Flux that night.

 _"Shepard, you really can't dance!" Ashley had laughed, excusing herself from the floor and hearing the Commander's indignant voice behind her._

 _"I can dance!" Shepard said, following Ashley. "I'm just not good at it. If you'd give me another chance, I'll show you."_

 _Ashley smirked and rolled her eyes. "The only dancing you're good at is when I've got you on your back in your Cabin, Commander," she smirked, leaning against the wall. "And you've never complained when I'm done with you. And I can't complain about it either."_

 _"Ha ha," Shepard said with a roll of his own eyes. "Alright, fine, I'm a shit dancer. Not my fault." He leaned against the wall facing Ashley, and he smiled. "I'm actually surprised."_

 _"About what?" Ashley asked, moving her hair out of her eyes. "Shepard?"_

 _"I'm surprised Flux didn't get fucked up in the attack," Shepard said. "So many other places got destroyed or battered, but not the club."_

 _"Chora's Den got smashed," Ashley said. "Not like anyone's missing that one. Except everyone that liked the Asari strippers."_

 _"Guilty," Shepard laughed, getting shoved by Ashley._

 _"Men!" the Chief said with a roll of her eyes._

"Dammit," Ashley sighed, forcing herself out of her memories and heading out of the club, finding a quiet spot near where the Asari Consort's office had once been. She sat down and stared out at the Citadel, none of them worrying much over anything, let alone seeing a ghost of the past. She hung her head and rubbed her eyes, her mind taking her back to Shepard's grave.

 _Garrus was the only speaking, saying how he was thankful that Shepard found the crew that he did, and even though they'd lost friends along the way, he knew that the sacrifices that had been made were for the good of the Galaxy. Tali, Liara, and Ashley were sitting together, Ashley between the other two. She looked behind her and saw Wrex and Joker, both men quieter then she'd ever seen them._

 _"We won't forget Shepard. It'd be damned near impossible to forget him. He gave his life saving his friends, just as Kaiden did on Virmire. We'll keep Shepard alive in our memories and in the lives he saved throughout the Galaxy as he hunted down Sovereign and Saren," Garrus said._

 _Ashley, having stayed at the grave the longest, felt a hand on her shoulder, looking up and seeing Tali. "Hi, Tali," she sighed._

 _"Are you alright, Chief?" Tali asked, the Quarian sitting down beside her friend. "I'm sorry, that's a stupid question. Of course you're not."_

_"I will be, Tali," Ashley said, smiling a bit. "Maybe not right away, but I will be."_

 _Tali nodded, putting her hand on Ashley's. "Garrus asked me to come find you," she said. "We haven't seen you since we all left an hour ago. He said he was going to set up a...what do you humans call them? The rememberance thing after a funeral?"_

 _"A wake," Ashley whispered. "He doesn't have to do that, Tali. I'll kick his ass if he does."_

 _"Too late," Tali said, opening a picture on her Omnitool. "See? Liara and Joker had a hand in it."_

 _"Fuck," Ashley sighed, pinching her nose. "Alright...we better go then." She stood up slowly, rubbing her hip as she did since she was sore from sitting for so long. She walked out of the cemetary with Tali, casting one last look at Shepard's grave._

Ashley shook her head, getting up and taking off again. The next months would be more of the same, pointless remembering and fighting while hearing reports of a ship in the Terminus Systems that entered the Omega-4 Relay and returned...


End file.
